Writer: Casey Lee

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Watch this if you liked: "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story"

Director Rawson Marshall Thurber may be best remembered for doing the ballsy "Dodgeball", except that this outing is a little more restrained on poking fun at stereotypes, and substitutes it with borrowed ones by opening the movie with meme-ish YouTube videos ('what does it mean?'). But like "Dodgeball", Rawson is using a similar framework for assembling dysfunctional characters and putting them on the road, this time quite literally, as a vehicle to dispense comedy and reach the destination with cheesy closure about important values of being a person. For this case, Rawson goes for being as family-friendly as he can, except with drugs, strippers and swingers, and the elements of indecencies that are let off by our censors, as long as they stay pixelated.

Aside from being the center the band of misfits, Jason Sudeikis' jerky David doesn't shine as much as the other members of his 'family', or the quirky characters they encounter along the way. But being closed-off allows him to point the limelight to his fake family members like Emma Roberts and Will Poulter, with their own character arcs that are amusing enough. But the attention should be given to Jennifer Aniston, if not entirely because of that one raunchy striptease she gives, but as the spark that lights up the theatre when she makes quick decisions with her smart antics to turn the situation for better, or for worse.

The main joke, of course, is that they have to maintain the facade of them actually being a family, which gets a run for its money when they meet the Fitzgeralds; an idyllic cooky family made up by an enjoyable combination of Nick Offerman and Kathryn Hahn as the foil to the Aniston-Sudeikis combo, with a shy Molly C. Quinn as the daughter to end Kenny's lip-locking deprivation.

Ed Helms as the despicable Brad is probably a comically reminiscence of Ben Stiller's White Goodman in "Dodgeball", but even that is more memorable than Tomer Sisley and Matthew Willig appearing as members of the Mexican drug cartel, who the Millers unintentionally double-crossed.

However, the quasi sense of family-ness that the characters develop over time feels a little forced as there really isn't much shared gags in the itinerary that can be considered bonding moments to believably develop such a connection between the characters. But even that identity gets cast off here and there numerous times, so it is a minor inconsistency that can be shrugged off over the gags that you have been put through.

"We're the Millers" doesn't go out of its way to make an impression on you, but you just wouldn't mind being taken on the cross country trip that lasts nearly for two hours with them. Do stay through the blooper reel though, because if anything, the prank at the end is just a nice way to end things off.


Cinema Online, 30 August 2013